"We've got to tell Mom," I कहा quickly. "She'll get Matt to actually pay it this time." I hoped I was right. He would, wouldn't he? He couldn't just let his girlfriend suffer. I picked up Auburn, and Sage held my hand as the five of us set out to Matt's house.

It was dark, and I was getting really anxious. During the day, the neighborhood was fine. But during the night... it was frightening. This place turned into a battle ground; shootings everywhere. It hasn't been so bad lately. The cops got rid of most of them. But आप could never be too careful.

Matt's house was bigger than ours; it had two floors. The windows glowed from the lights inside, and संगीत blared through the walls. He was having a party... again.

Paige knocked on the door, and we waited. No one answered.

"She's here, right?" she asked me.

"I dunno," I shrugged. "But where else would she be all day?" Paige nodded, and knocked again. Still no answer.

"Screw this," she grumbled, and opened the door herself. We stepped inside, and there were people everywhere, dancing and talking. I didn't see Mom. "Mom?!" Paige called. A couple people looked, but then ignored us.

"Whoa, what're आप girls doin' here?" Matt asked, coming over to us.

"We need to talk to Mom," Paige said.

"She's wasted right now," Matt said.

"Well, when she's sober, tell her---" Paige began, but I interrupted.

"This is all your fault!" I told him. He sighed.

"What's my fault?"

"You didn't pay the fucking rent!" He stared at me for a while, with a blank look on his face. Then it clicked for him.

"Oh! Yeah! Oops..."

"Yeah, 'oops.'" I said. "Now we can't pay it! We can't blow it off this time! We're going to get evicted!" He reached over and patted my head. I wanted to take that arm off.

"I'm sure आप girls will think of something..." He wandered off.

"Let's go find Mom," I said. We walked through the crowd, getting confused looks, and irritated looks. What the hell were kids doing at a party like this? We found Mom in the kitchen, doubled over the sink.

"Mom?" Paige asked, putting her hand on her back. Mom looked at us, dazed.

"Wh... What're ya dune her...?" she mumbled. Matt was right; she was completely wasted.

"Mom, आप need to come home," Paige told her slowly. She stared at us for a while, then shook her head.

"Nah, I don't wan... uh."

"But, Mom---"

"I seh no!" she shouted at the चोटी, शीर्ष of her lungs. She continued to shout at us, and it became obvious there was no reasoning with her.

"Can we just wait till morning?" Kirsten pleaded. Paige sighed, then nodded. We started home; it was real late now. We were halfway home, when we heard a gunshot, just down the block. Sage and Kirsten screamed, and we all started running.

"Come on!" I shouted at Sage, who was being so slow. Paige picked her up and ran. Another gun shot.

We made it घर safely, though I was still panicking.

"Shelby, we're fine," Paige कहा slowly. I gritted my teeth together.

"Fine?! What do आप mean we're gonna be fine?! We're gonna get evicted! Where are we gonna go?!" I shouted. Auburn started to cry, and Kirsten took her from me gently.

"Shelby," Paige stared me down. "Just calm down. We'll handle everything in the morning." I took deep breaths, trying to do as Paige said. I knew it was no point, though.

Kirsten put Auburn in her crib, which had been Paige's when she was born, then we all went to bed. The four of us went to the "master" bedroom, which had once been Mom's many years ago. But when I was five Mom had to sell my बिस्तर for money. So Mom took Paige's bed, and Paige, Kirsten and I took Mom's क्वीन sized bed. Then soon we added Sage, and then we'll add Auburn when she gets older.

If we still live here.

I laid in bed, my mind still racing with all the things that could happen. I hoped that Mom would get Matt to pay the rent. या maybe if I got the job that I'd applied for in time, I'd ask them to pay me for the first दिन right away, and maybe that would pay the rent.

I shook my head. I wouldn't get the job in time, and even if I did, one day's pay wouldn't be enough to pay the mortgage.

"Shelby," Paige whispered. She slept on the end, and I slept on the other that was pushed up against the wall.

"Hm," I grumbled.

"We're going to be fine," she whispered. "I promise." I sighed, and looked at the ceiling for a while.

"You don't really believe that, do you," I stated. She was quiet for a moment. I turned my head to look at her.

"Yes. Actually, I do," she said. "I know we'll be fine. We have for years, and we always will be." I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

"That's bullshit, Paige," I told her.

"Just go to sleep, Shelby."

***

I woke up before everyone else. I carefully snuck out of bed, and got Auburn. I gave her her bottle, as I held her. The house was still dark; the sun was just barely peering over the horizon. I'd almost forgotten about yesterday, but I saw the still unpaid rent on the counter. I sighed, looking at Auburn.

"We'll be ok, won't we?" I whispered. She looked at me, still drinking her bottle. I shook my head. She had no idea what was going on anyways. She was lucky. She had no care in the world right now.

"I'm going to work," Paige said. I turned around. "Stay here and watch them." Duh; what else was I going to do?

"When is Mom coming back?" I asked, exasperated.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "But when she does, make sure she gets Matt to pay the rent. I'm working overtime today..." She looked around for for her name tag. "Um, आप need to give Kirsten and Sage their math lesson today... Can आप do that?" I nodded. "Good. I'll see आप later. I'll be घर late." She disappeared out the door.

I made breakfast: eggs. That's all we ever have. They're cheap, but still good for you. We don't have much खाना in the house, so sometimes that's all we eat. That's all we ever have for breakfast, anyways. We usually don't eat dinner, unless it's a special occasion. Otherwise we only eat breakfast, and then just have a snack when we're hungry.

After we ate, I tried giving Kirsten and Sage their math lesson.

I have a short temper, and math is not Kirsten's best subject. I sighed, and put the flashcards on the table.

"It's twenty," I told her. "Four times five is twenty..." Kirsten sighed.

"You know I'm not good at multiplication." I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. School's out. Go... do something."

It wasn't until the middle of the दिन that I got sick of waiting. I handed Auburn to Kirsten.

"Stay here. I'm going to go get Mom." Kirsten nodded as I headed out the door, and walked three blocks to Matt's house. I knocked on the door. No one answered. "Great," I groaned. I looked around. What were we gonna do? I bit my lip. Matt's got the money, right? I peered in the window. I could jsut take the money we needed for the rent, and then everything would be fine, right?

I took a deep breath, then nodded to myself. I could do this. He's such a dumbass, he wouldn't notice the money's gone. Then I could pay him back when I got the job.

The front door was locked, so I went around back. That door was locked too. I paused for a while. I'd be fine... I slid open the back window, and jumped up, my stomach landing on the side. I kicked my legs up, and fell into the house. I grunted, and looked around. It was dark. I wondered where Mom and Matt were...

I searched the whole house for where Matt kept his money. He wasn't very bright, so I searched the most obvious places first. In the cabinets, in the सोफ़ा, सोफे cushions, in his room... Nothing. I looked around for almost a half hour, when I found the money in a place I was too stupid to look in.

The cookie jar.

I rolled my eyes at myself, and took the exact amount of money we needed. I sighed. There. Now everything would be alright. I stashed the money in my pocket, and put the cookie jar back in its place, so it looked untouched.

I went back out the window again, and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Freeze!" a voice said. I looked up to see the cop, pointing his gun straight at me.